


What's in a Name?

by LuciaWilt



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Cussing, Heavy Angst, Introspection, Kidnapping, Other, Prisoner of War, Quiet, Quiet Vader, Rating May Change, Softness, Understanding, intense sadness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:21:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8045620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: Who is he really?





	1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan had taught him to control his emotions. He told him that it would be his downfall if they went crazy. It always scared Luke; especially since he was just 14 when Obi-Wan told him that. That had been one of their first lessons together, with a subsequent building of an emerald green lightsaber after that. But Luke could not deny it; studying with Obi-Wan had been some of the best times of his life. When the older man passed away, he had been devastated. Luke had cried for days, completely forgetting the lesson that the older man had taught him. He realized after a week of moping around that he was going against everything that Obi-Wan had taught him. Once that hit him, he made a cold stony mask and rarely took it off in public. 

After that, he studied and trained by himself in the deserts of Tatooine, of course after he was done with the work on the farm. Sooner or later, he could use the Force to life his uncle’s land speeder. That had been one of the proudest days of his life. But all good times come to an end eventually. 

That was how he found himself, three years later on his birthday, in cuffs being led by a group of Stormtroopers onto an imperial shuttle. He had joined the Rebellion at the age of 15. Even though he was the youngest member, he was incredibly valuable since he was a Jedi. Chirrut had taught him many things that Obi-Wan had not been able to tell him. The monk was incredibly wise in the ways of the Force. It was nearly like the old Jedi was still there with him. With Chirrut teaching him, Luke was able to acclimate to the Rebellion far easier than if he had not been under Chirrut’s tutelage. 

“Where are you taking me?” He thrashed about in the Stormtroopers hold. Luke had a general idea of where their destination was. Staying behind gave Jyn and Cassian the opportunity to escape. Sure the three of them were very important to the Rebellion, but they needed those two more than they needed Luke. He was sure that Chirrut would miss him, but that was a price that he was willing to pay for those two to survive. Now in the hands of the Empire, he would fight tooth and nail; making their lives a living hell. There was a high chance that he was going to be tortured for the information he knew. They would have a hard time doing it though. That was one of the first things that the Rebellion trained him in; resisting torture. Of course he had his limits, but he would hold out until the very end. 

“We do not have to tell you anything you rebel scum.” It was one of the Stormtroopers on the left that had said that to him. With an angry turn, Luke spat a loogie on the man’s boot. It angered him, of course; but Luke was not expecting any retaliation. An armored hand quickly punched into Luke’s stomach, causing the blond to double over. It had knocked the breath right out of him so the two had to practically drag him forwards. They quickly came upon the shuttle and he was ushered in. Once inside they roughly pushed him down onto the bench; then proceeded to stand around him as though they thought he could take them all on at once. There was a part of him that wondered if he could. They did not know that he was trained in the ways of the Force, the Empire having thought that all the Jedi had been killed in Order 66 like Obi-Wan had told him. 

However, he was not that skilled. It would take more than what he could handle to take down all the troopers inside the shuttle. Then he would have to commandeer the craft. There was just no way that he could do it all by himself. So instead, he resigned himself to his fate and watched as they left the planet. The inky blackness of space quickly surrounded them; making Luke know that he was not going to be able to escape so easily if he tried. 

The trip to the star destroyer that hovered just outside of the planet’s atmosphere was shorter than he had expected. The shuttle lurched a bit as it landed in the docking bay. Once it settled onto the metal outside the ship, the troopers were pulling him out and into the busy area. Some of the officers and fighter pilots glanced over at him. Their eyes were curious as to who he was. Some gave him a strange look that he could not quite place. It made his stomach twist into a knot as he speculated. There had been some people in the Rebellion that gave him a similar look. Cassian explained with a nervous face what the reason was. Apparently he had a feminine look about him. When he had joined, he had been wearing a large scarf and a cap so many believed him to be a girl. So this was no different apparently 

“Damn imperials.” He muttered under his breath. The troopers quickly guided him out of the docking bay into long, similar hallways. They went on and on, making Luke feel like as though the star destroyer was larger than he first thought which gave him a bout of anxiety; something he was prone to in his childhood. 

There was only one star destroyer that he know of, that was bigger than the rest. 

And that was the Executor.

Darth Vader’s flag ship. 

It made him shutter and slow his pace. The Stormtroopers had to start to drag him along, their frustration evident. Luke had heard the rumors of Darth Vader and known of them were good. The man had…had killed his father. Obi-Wan had explained it to him so many years ago. His father had been a Jedi Knight, fighting during the clone wars. In an intense battle, Vader walked out the victor. Did they know who he was? Was that why they singled him out? It couldn’t be possible. He had stayed behind just so Jyn and Cassian could escape. That had just been a…

Coincidence?

Had Vader swayed his actions in some fashion? 

Was the man that powerful? 

The possibility was there. He just had to take it one step at a time though.

~’~

They had brought him to an empty room. It was small, an obvious holding for prisoners that the Empire had taken. It just solidified Luke’s assumption that they were going to torture him. All he could do at that point was wait for someone to come to him.

And that waiting lasted for quite some time. He tried to keep count, tried to count each minute; but that did not last for long. He quickly lost track and had to just sit there in his own silence. “Anybody?” he wondered out loud. It gave him something to do while he waited. So he started to hold a conversation with himself. It was one that he had in the past with Obi-Wan. It was about the Force, and how it flowed through everything in the universe. He was near the end of the conversation when a Stormtrooper walked into his cell. The blank mask stared at him for a few moments before he spoke.

“Follow me. You are wanted in the throne room.” Luke’s stomach dropped. He could not be serious. The throne room? That meant the Emperor was here on the ship. What would he want with Luke? Unless they found out who he was. He could not do anything as the trooper guided him out of the holding cell. Once again they started through the long hallways. It took sometime before they came to a large blast door. It slid opening with a hiss and the two walked in. The first thing that Luke noticed were the imperial guards. Their red cloaked figures creeped Luke out. The only time he had seen them were in holovids; and to be honest, that was the only place he wanted to see them. They turned and watched the pair walk forwards. Then Luke’s eyes turned and caught sight of the two figures at the top of the steps. He felt as though he were about to throw up. 

There they were. The Emperor and Darth Vader himself. They turned to him and the approaching Stormtrooper. With a salute, the white armored man turned and headed out the door. Luke’s cuffed hands suddenly were freed, the medal falling to the ground with a loud clatter. “It is nice to meet you young one.” The Emperor said, his voice scratchy with age. Slowly, he walked down the steps; Vader right on his tail. Luke could feel the man’s eyes on him behind that black mask. The Emperor stopped right in front of the blond with a smile. “I am told that you stayed behind so your friends could escape.” It was decrepit. Luke thought of death as the old man stood before him. He wanted to step backwards away; but was unable to. That sensation; Luke knew what it was. He never knew that the Emperor was gifted in the Force though. For a moment he thought that Vader was holding him around the waist, but it was not coming from the taller man. No, it was the Emperor that had him. It seemed as though he was able to sense Luke’s realization. A soft hum slipped from the Emperor’s mouth, but he did not share his findings. He just turned back around and started back up the stairs. Luke found it a waste, the energy going and up and down the steps in so little time. He was not going to comment on it though. He just watched the Emperor while Vader watched him. 

“I cannot deal with you as of right now. I have too many things I must attend to.” He was at the top of the steps. With a turn, he faced Vader beside Luke. A Cheshire smile grew over the man’s face. “I gift him to you my apprentice. Do with him as you please.” 

“Gift me?!” Luke shouted. What did that mean? “I’m not some pleasure slave to toss around to people!” He shouted. The anger was just pouring off of him in waves. It surprised him that Vader was not sensing the Force energy. Perhaps he was gifted, but not in that aspect. 

Vader reached over to grab Luke’s arm, but the blond quickly ripped it out of his reach. “Do not fucking touch me.” He growled. The air in the room turned icy cold. Vader’s large body moved up to him faster than Luke expected. “I’m…”

He stood over Luke, his arms visibly twitching at his sides. The young man prepared for the worst, his body become whip cord tight. But pain never came. Instead, the Sith Lord reached out and grabbed Luke’s left hand. His looked so tiny while being handled in those giant black ones. He was ready to pull away at any moment. Luke was shocked into silence when those big fingers pressed against his wrist. Two of them trailed down the middle of his hand where he tapped the palm three times. He then continued on with one down Luke’s ring finger. He pressed their finger-tips together before he suddenly knelt before Luke. The young Jedi had absolutely no idea what to do. He was frozen as Vader then brought Luke’s ring finger up to his mask. Luke could feel the air that came out of the slats, pressing against his skin in regular beats. Vader brought the finger-tip up to the metal and pressed the finger against it. That same hum came from the Emperor, but Luke could not look away. His eyes were blown wide in surprise. Once Vader apparently was done, he stood once again; his large body hovering rather close to Luke’s. 

“Follow me νεαρό αγόρι.” The last two words sounded like a garbled mess to Luke. It had to be some foreign language of some foreign planet. For a moment, he stood still; staring at the ground in petulant anger. Finally, he decided that he could play the role for the time being. He turned and followed the larger man out of the room. Once again, the hallways continued on and on. Luke’s head spun with how many twist and turns they took. When they came upon a rather secluded blast door, Vader waved his hand and it flew open. He walked in with Luke following closely behind him. Once they were both inside, the blast doors slipped shut and they were alone in the quiet room. Luke was suspicious of what was happening. He had heard the stories of how ruthless Vader was not only on the battlefield, but when he was doing simple task with other officers as well. He could kill a man from half a million lightyears away. So for him to be so gentle with Luke so far, the blond did not want to lower his guard.

The silence did not wane. Vader just turned and faced Luke. They seemed to have a staring contest until Luke looked down and away. As he stared at the cold floor, Vader jumped up to him again like he had done in the throne room. Luke squeaked out loud when those hands grabbed his wrist. Once again, they were light; non-threatening. Luke blinked and suddenly he had cuffs on his wrist again. There it was. He knew that he was still a prisoner.

“Don’t you da-“ Vader guided him over to the corner of the bed in the room. He connected the cuffs to the side and suddenly Luke was sitting on the ground. Before he could say anything else, Vader was gone; leaving him alone in the room with just his racing thoughts.

~’~

“Master. Why did you give me the boy?” Vader asked as he walked back into the throne room. The Emperor was smiling, looking at his pupil. Vader quickly knelt at the bottom of the staircase. His confusion was palpable in the air.

“Oh you silly boy,” Palpatine chuckled. He still saw Vader as the young child he once was. “You really do not know?” Vader stayed silent. It was an indication of his weakness, of his vacant knowledge. The Emperor stood and motioned for the Sith lord to come up the steps. Once Vader was standing next to his master, the older man continued. “I can feel the loneliness that plagues your heart. You have always worn your heart on your sleeve; that has not changed.” Vader nodded his head. “The sadness fuels you yes, but it is not that strong of an emotion. You must use something else to express your powers. With that young man, you can regain the strength you once had.” 

Vader said nothing else, knowing that his master was correct. The young man was incredibly beautiful, if not brash and rough around the edges. He had a sharp tongue, reminding him of someone from the distant past that he thought about every day.

Perhaps there was something there after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...”_ -Nicholas Sparks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song-
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx7VXYMf9Uc&list=LL9elPttpdmtKUvwE5GOtqOA&index=59
> 
> inspiration
> 
> https://68.media.tumblr.com/0147ece74d87fcaa28d682ec7ab36ceb/tumblr_obwi05wzu21rhdp6mo1_540.png

Luke came back into consciousness rather slowly. It felt as though there was a heavy fog over his head. What was worse was the intense crick in his neck. He moved it with a painful jerk that had him moaning in pain. Why did he-?

Oh yeah.

His eyes glanced down to where he was. He had fallen asleep on the floor, his hands resting against the side of the bed he was cuffed to. There was a dry feeling in his mouth with a little bit of crusted spit around his lips; obviously indicating he had fallen asleep with his mouth open. When he looked down, he had curled his legs up. There was a since of dread at how loud it would be to uncurl his legs. With calculated movements, he did just that; wincing at the sensation. There was in fact a loud pop coming from his knees. “Damn.” He muttered. Not only was his body sore from falling asleep in such a position, but he recalled exactly where he was. What shitty luck I have, he groaned to himself, resting his head back against the side of the bed. What was he going to do? He was perhaps in one of the most guarded areas in all of the galaxy. The chances of someone coming to save him were slim to none. Then there was the fact that he himself could not break out. 

He could always try; there was no hurt in that. But Luke felt as though when he inevitably failed at doing so, it would cause him to get discouraged at anything else he would try to save himself. So for the moment, he simply would try to get as much rest as he could. That is, until the sensation of a dark force came slowly meandering down the hallway outside the room. His eyes flew open right as Vader waved the blast doors open. The man, he had to be a man, stood quietly in the doorway for a moment before walking in to the room. He stood in the middle, simply staring at Luke. The blond was not going to be intimidated so he stared right back. Both of them were locked in a stare off, neither wavering; until Vader looked away. It shocked Luke. That was not what he was expecting from the rumored monster of a man. 

Vader turned away and walked over to the only chair in the room. His large body folded down; the masking once again looking at Luke. The blond could not pick up any emotions from him. It was just…just so blank. He could only wait until he said anything really. When the man finally spoke, it actually startled Luke. Even with his booming voice, Vader’s words were quiet and soft. “You are not in danger. No one will hurt you.” Luke doubted that right away. No one had made it out of the Empire’s clutches alive. He knew that the man was lying, but played along anyways, waiting for the man to continue talking. But he did not. There was a thick silence that settled over the two of them.

“What is your name?” Luke was completely taken off guard by how the Commander of the Imperial Navy was behaving. It did not match up with someone of his status, of someone of his rumored person. It was disorienting. 

Luke did not answer though. That was the first question they would ask him if they were interrogating him. Even if he was not going to be hurt did not cover the fact that Vader very well could be still trying to get information out of him. Once again no emotions seeped through the other man’s being. Usually Luke was very good at reading others. Vader was blank.

“Were you a pilot?” It was another question that warranted silence on Luke’s end. “How old are you?” Once again, silence. Vader did not seem bothered by it in the slightest. He just sat there, staring at Luke who was leaning against the bed. A raspy breath of air left the respirator that caused Luke to startle. Suddenly, the cuffs that had been around his wrist released. He glanced up at the man who was now looking out the transperisteel window. The black space seemed to attract the older man, but Luke did not look away. “I will be truthful with you νεαρό αγόρι. I am lonely.” Luke’s mind short circuited at Darth Vader’s words. “I have been alone for the past… 18 years.” Vader saw the planet of Mustafar, the screaming lava shouting around him. “My heart seems to be…to be growing weak with the loneliness. It is breaking, which in turn is breaking me.” That silence returned. Luke was utterly shocked. His mouth was shaped in an ‘o’ as he stared at Vader; the man still watching the stars. “I questioned why my master handed you over to me. It seemed like such an insignificant move. Yet now I understand. Companionship is hard to come by. At some point in your life, all you need is someone to be near you, to speak with you. I have long lost that. That is what I wish for you to do; to share your thoughts while listening to mine. Join me while I journey on convoys.” 

Vader was an incredibly quiet and, practically soothing man. He had that aura about him; Luke finally getting a read. He was very low key. And that sadness. Luke could see it now. It was grey with a hint of blue. There was obvious pain and suffering Vader was going through. It just surprised Luke. The command barely sounded like one, even though Luke knew it was one. Was this what P.O.W’s did when they were caught? He doubted that. 

His life, while under the Empire’s control, was boiled down to what, a therapist? Was Vader really that sad? That alone? Luke, in a strange way, could feel empathy for the Commander. He himself grew up alone. Sure he had Ben and his aunt and uncle, but there had always been a painful jolt in his chest. This command that was being put upon him; could he use this to his advantage? Could he… could he find a friend in an enemy? Would Vader be receptive of it? He did say for Luke to share his thoughts. There was something in Luke’s heart that said he could get use to this eventually. 

“Yet I still do not understand. May I be honest?” He decided to ask for permission on the off chance that Vader would hurt him for speaking his mind. But the man nodded instead. So Luke swallowed hard before continuing. “This does not fit the image that has been spread across the galaxy. You seem far, harder I guess? I might just be thrown off about it all.” He faded off at the end of the sentence, looking down to his folded legs. Luke dropped his hands into his lap as though he were 8 years younger than he actually was. That reminded him that he was turning 18 that day. 

“You cannot believe everything you hear νεαρό αγόρι.” That voice, so light yet so deep. It made him feel like a child again; so lost and alone without the father he never had. The middle of his throat tightened up with tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. Vader turned his head to Luke at the small sound of a confused sob. Embarrassment at being caught crying bit at Luke’s cheek making them heat up. 18 and crying like a child. All his friends on Tatooine would make fun of him. “Why are you crying?” There was no anger or chiding in his voice.

“I do not know.” A louder sob broke from his lips. What was wrong with him? Why was Darth Vader, one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and the biggest enemy to the Rebellion aside from the Emperor himself, making his heart hurt so horribly? It had to be because this man was his father’s murderer. Yet here he was, yearning to just speak with him. The armored man’s feelings seemed to have bled over to Luke’s mind. There was still that need to run, to break free from the Empire; but it was not as serious any longer. Instead, he just wanted to sit there and listen to the man talk as though he truly was some sort of therapist. This man’s ears were open to him. That perhaps was the biggest cut to his heart. He had not had someone like that since Ben passed away. Every emotion was crashing around Luke. There was pain, misery, happiness, sadness, confusion; and was that hope? Was there hop for some sort of future? 

“Crying means you are alive νεαρό αγόρι.” Those words only made Luke cry harder. Inside of Vader’s mind, he knew why he had said that. He was not alive. He would never be alive again. His soul had died long ago, leaving just a carcass of a man. That was what his master saw in him. He saw the soulless miserable mess that was left of Anakin Skywalker. 

And this boy. He was so similar to him, at least from what he could tell. The ache of the heart. Those were the tears of someone that had experienced loneliness that bit at the heart and left scars that were unhealable. Vader believed that humans had to revel in emotions, strong and weak, hurtful and healing. It seemed as though that was what made living intelligent creatures the way that they were. Once that was gone, you as a being would no longer exist. And before anyone knew, death would sweep over and quiet the voice, quiet the heart. Death was merciless. It took and took and took and did not discriminate. No one knew when it would happen to them; so one must live and grab those feelings and never let go. It was one of his biggest regrets.

So he stood and walked over to the boy. He had curled in on himself, crying with his head between his bent knees. The blond did not flinch as Vader’s hand rested on his head in an empathetic fashion. The young man needed to feel the sadness, to accept it into his heart and make it his friend.

Vader would speak to him later. At the moment, he would not interrupt the important moment in the young man’s life. 

**Author's Note:**

> Quiet Vader is quiet. There is a reason why I also chose greek for the language Vader speaks. So to me, Naboo has a few different influences. It is very Mediterranean to me. Yet it has a very Asian/Eastern influence. So I was thinking the east Mediterranean. I was trying to find greetings for those that are of a higher status than you in Greek culture, but I couldn't find any DX. If anybody can find anything, totally don't be afraid to tell me.


End file.
